SAFETY AND SECURITY

Everyone wants to feel safe in their home, and why shouldn't your tenants? You can be the difference between having happy students who feel safe in their accommodation and students who are worried about their security, an issue that could ultimately affect their attainment at university.

Our criteria includes a security section which is marked in accordance with its level of importance, so by striving for the best possible star rating, you'll be well on your way to a safer home. 

We're working with Humberside Police to encourage all student landlords to make student properties even safer this year. We're looking to become more involved in getting landlords to improve their home security features, as well as giving you vital home security information when you move into your new house. For full details of our criteria, click here.

Humberside Police have a great Student Survival Guide to give you all the hints and tips you need to make sure your house is as secure as it can be, helping to prevent your tenants from becoming victims of crime. Click on the image below for the full guide.

When choosing a student home, of course our students willl check to see if the house is HullSTARS rated first and foremost, and probably check out what star rating it achieved and what former tenants said about living there, but something students might also check is what crimes have been committed in the are.  Police.uk is a brilliant website that lets you find out what has been going on in your area by doing a quick postcode search, and on the recommendation of Humberside Police we've included a link on our tenant pages to help students get fully clued up.

To see what crimes have been committed in your postcode area, visit www.police.uk or click on the map to explore it further!

Credit: police.uk

If your tenants are unfortunate enough to become a victim of crime, of course you'll them want to get their belongings back, and that's where immoblise.com comes in. Tenants can register your details free of charge with their serial numbers so that if they are one of the unlucky ones, the Police have a better chance of re-uniting them with their belongings, especially important for those with exams and living away from home.

• Immobilise helps Police identify the owners of recovered property thousands of times everyday.
• Property updates you make are immediately available to the Police nationally.
• Combat the sale of stolen gadgets & valuables; alert the second-hand trade & publicly checkable stolen goods database CheckMEND if an item goes missing.
• Simplify insurance claims and Police reports with certificates of ownership.
• Great member offers from Immobilise’s numerous supporters, often helping support the FREE provision of Immobilise.
• If you need to obtain a Loss Report Number for insurance purposes please visit Report My Loss.

The process is quick and easy, simply visit immobilise.com and start by registering a single item.

In order to make our tenants and properties safer, Humberside Police have introduced a new Crime Prevention Initiative. As part of the initiative, Humberside Police are asking landlords to get on board by displaying posters at both the front and rear exit doors of each property, giving away keyrings at the start of each new tenancy, as well as encouraging their tenants to register their equipment on immobilise.com.

As well as the initiative, Humberside Police have made some recommendations, some of which aren't currently part of the HullSTARS criteria. To stay ahead of the curve, why not consider the following in your student properties?

• Provide all front and rear exit doors with a 5-lever mortice lock.
• Provide a low wattage dusk to dawn security light to the rear of the property.

Fire Safety

Living in shared accommodation is something of a rite of passage, and for many students it can be the first taste of living independently. There’s a huge responsibility to keep yourself and your housemates safe and with things like cooking independently for the first time carrying fire hazards, it’s even more important to take fire safety precautions in shared accommodation.

Did you know?:

• 5 people aged 17-24 are killed or injured by fires each day
• Every year, around 350 18-24 year olds are injured in accidental house fires started by cigarettes, smoking materials & candles
• More than 1Ž2 of all accidental fire deaths amongst this age group occur in the kitchen when cooking, when handling hot substances or through misuse of electrical equipment
• 1 in every 3 people who die in house fires had previously consumed alcohol

Statistics also show that you are more than twice as likely to die in a fire if you don’t have a working smoke alarm. Does your alarm get checked regularly? It’s as simple as pushing a button, but could save you and your housemates’ lives! Humberside Fire and Rescue recommend that you test your smoke alarms once a week #TestitTuesday. For more information and useful tips on how to stay safe in your student home click here 

Remember, in the event of a fire, use your escape plan – Get out, stay out and call 999.